A New Heuristic for Scheduling Optimization of Non-Repetitive Construction Projects Under Constrained Resources

Abstract

In Sudan, the clients, contractors and consultants (stakeholders) suffer from the elongation of project completion time, especially in the case of limited resources. This problem results in the conflict among them, and hence leads to project delay that consequently influences the overall project cost. To solve this problem, data from ten construction projects executed in Khartoum state and other towns was collected, simulated and analyzed. Primavera software program was used as a simulator tool and sixteen selected heuristics were applied to the ten projects. Statistical and operational research tools combined with the existing heuristics, while considering best common practices in construction industry, were used. Lindo software, as a decision making tool, is then used to find the optimum solution, i.e., finding the minimum time to complete the project under limited resources. The results were then evaluated and, hence, concluded that the optimum solution of the extra needed time at its minimum possible rate to complete the project under limited resources was achieved as a result of implementing the heuristic of “minimum late start time”. This new “selectedd” heuristic optimizes the scheduling time of non-repetitive projects while considering the availability of limited resources.